Tevin Bates is a state champion.
Bates won an individual state title in the high jump at Friday’s NCHSAA state 2A track and field championships held at N.C. A&T University. The Greene Central senior had a jump of 6-feet, 6-inches, to best Isaiah Moore of Burlington Cummings.
Bates’ championship is the first field event state championship in school history and its second individual track and field boys title since Reginald Atkinson won the 100-meter dash in 1989, according to records kept by the NCHSAA.
Overall, Bates had three top-five finishes on Friday. He placed third in the triple jump at 45-feet, 2-inches, and fifth in the long jump with a distance of 20-feet, 11.75 inches.
Area male athletes fared well in the field events. Between the long jump, high jump and triple jump, the area had six top-five finishes.
The highest finish by a female athlete was fourth in the 1,600-meter run by Caroline Jones of South Lenoir. She completed the event in 5 minutes, 27.93 seconds.
Greene Central’s boys finished fifth in the team standings.
Greene Central
Girls — Alexis Robinson, sixth, 400-meter dash, 1:01.30; Azalea Hill, 100-meter hurdles, did not place.
Boys — Tevin Bates, first, high jump, 6-feet, 6-inches; fifth, long jump, 20-feet, 11.75-inches; third, triple jump, 45-feet, 2-inches; Joseph Biggs, fifth, high jump, 6-feet, 2-inches; Curtez Braswell, fourth, long jump, 21-feet, one-half-inch; Daquan Lee-Jones, 13th, long jump, 20-feet; 4-by-100-meter relay team (Alex Thaggard, Brandon Belcher, Lee-Jones, Bates), ninth, 44.06; 4-by-200-meter relay team (Thaggard, Braswell, Belcher, Dwight Evans), sixth, 1:31.15.
Kinston
Girls — Lydia Rivers, eighth, 200-meter dash, 26.32; tied-14th, high jump, 4-feet, 6-inches; Annie Thi, eighth, 300-meter hurdles, 49.57; 4-by-400-meter relay team (Starr Nwabuo, Alexis Soloman, Debbie Martin, Thi), 13th, 4:25.40.
Boys — Daequon Carr, 14th, 200-meter dash, 23.29; Chris Bell, 16th, 800-meter run, 2:13.25; Jeremy Taylor, fourth, triple jump, 44-feet, 8.25-inches; 4-by-400-meter relay team (Reggie Lewis, Denzel Keyes, Bell, Keith Haynie), fifth, 3:28.76; 4-by-800-meter relay team (Bell, Nick Frankfort, Keyes, Tajahn Williams), ninth, 8:34.88.
South Lenoir
Girls — Caroline Jones, sixth, 800-meter run, 2:29.90; fourth, 1,600-meter run, 5:27.93; 11th, 3,200-meter run, 12:41.66; Meredith Rhodes, 14th, 300-meter hurdles, 52.71; 4-by-800-meter relay team (Jones, Rhodes, Carley Hill, Tana Tyndall), 13th, 10:54.37.
Boys — Mason Zeagler, eight, 3,200-meter run, 10:28.85; Bryce Floyd, 100-yard wheelchair dash, 33.02; 200-yard wheelchair dash, 1:07.69; shot put wheelchair, 11-feet, 8-inches; discus wheelchair, 31-feet, 7-inches.
